Standard Lemma guide

tempt

verb · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /tɛmpt/
  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /tɛmt/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛmpt
  • rhymes with -ɛmt
  • CMU ARPABET: T EH1 M P T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To provoke someone to do wrong, especially by promising a reward; to entice.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • She tempted me to eat the apple.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: entice, lure, pander, tease

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To attract; to allure.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • Its glossy skin tempted me.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: beguile, entrance, allure, arrest, attract, becharm, bewitch, beckon, captivate, charm, court, delight, draw, effascinate, enchant, engage, enthrall, enrapture, fascinate, forspeak, hypnotize, interest, intrigue, mesmerize, pull, pull in, seduce, sirenize, spellbind, tempt, tole

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To provoke something; to court.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • It would be tempting fate.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: foment, urge, abet, actuate, goose, fuel, light a fire under, send, sting, bring about, cheer, draw, drive, encourage, egg on, engender, evoke, excite, goad, grill, ignite, impel, incite, induce, inflame, instigate, invoke, lash, motive, motivate, move, obligate, oblige, push, promote, prompt, provoke, rouse, set off, spark off, spur, spur on, stimulate, stir, stir up, stoke, tempt, whet, whip up

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

induce into action by using one's charm

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • She charmed him into giving her all his money

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: charm, influence

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: persuade

Narrower terms: magnetize, mesmerize, mesmerise, magnetise, bewitch, spellbind

5

verb

Meaning 5

provoke someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises or persuasion

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • He lured me into temptation

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: entice, lure

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: provoke, stimulate

Narrower terms: hook, snare, seduce, call, stool, lead on, tweedle, decoy, bait

6

verb

Meaning 6

try presumptuously

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • St. Anthony was tempted in the desert

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: persuade

7

verb

Meaning 7

dispose or incline or entice to

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • We were tempted by the delicious-looking food

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: allure

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: invite, bid

8

verb

Meaning 8

give rise to a desire by being attractive or inviting

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the window displays tempted the shoppers

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: invite

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stimulate, shake, shake up, excite, stir

9

verb

Meaning 9

try to seduce

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: arouse, sex, excite, turn on, wind up

History

Etymology

From Middle English tempten, from Old French tempter (French: tenter), from Latin temptare, from tentare (“to handle, touch, try, test, tempt”), frequentative of tendere (“to stretch”). Displaced native English costning (“temptation”).

Across languages

Translations

106 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: tundoj — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Arabic: أَغْوَى (ʔaḡwā) — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Arabic: أَغْرَى (ʔaḡrā) — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Armenian: գայթակղեցնել (gaytʻakġecʻnel) — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Asturian: tentar — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Bulgarian: изкушавам (izkušavam) — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Catalan: temptar — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Danish: friste — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Dutch: verleiden — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Esperanto: tenti — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Finnish: vietellä — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Finnish: viekoitella — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • French: tenter — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Friulian: tentâ — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Galician: tentar — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • German: in Versuchung führen — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • German: versuchen — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Ancient Greek: πειράζω (peirázō) — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Hebrew: פיתה (pitá) — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Hebrew: גירה (gerá) — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Hungarian: kísért — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Hungarian: megkísért — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Italian: tentare — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Japanese: 誘惑する (yūwaku-suru) — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Kapampangan: tuksu — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Latin: tentō — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Latvian: kārdināt — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Macedonian: соблазни (soblazni) — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Norwegian: friste — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Plautdietsch: vesieekjen — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Polish: kusić — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Polish: skusić — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Portuguese: tentar — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Romanian: tenta — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Russian: склоня́ть (sklonjátʹ) — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Russian: склони́ть (sklonítʹ) — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Russian: увещева́ть (uveščevátʹ) — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Russian: подбива́ть (podbivátʹ) — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Russian: подби́ть (podbítʹ) — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Sardinian: tenteare — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Scottish Gaelic: buair — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Spanish: tentar — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Spanish: acodiciar — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Spanish: acudiciar — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Tagalog: tuksuhin — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Telugu: ప్రేరేపించు (prērēpiñcu) — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Turkish: ayartmak — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Turkish: baştan çıkarmak — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Turkish: kanına girmek — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Tuvaluan: fakaosooso — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Ukrainian: схиляти, змушувати (sxyljaty, zmušuvaty) — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Venetan: tantar — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Vietnamese: xui — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Vietnamese: xúi — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Vietnamese: xúi giục — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Volapük: blufodön — to provoke someone to do wrong
  • Arabic: أَغْرَى (ʔaḡrā) — to attract, allure
  • Bulgarian: съблазнявам (sǎblaznjavam) — to attract, allure
  • Catalan: temptar — to attract, allure
  • Chinese Mandarin: 吸引 (xīyǐn) — to attract, allure
  • Chinese Mandarin: 誘惑 /诱惑 (yòuhuò) — to attract, allure
  • Danish: lokke — to attract, allure
  • Dutch: lokken — to attract, allure
  • Dutch: verlokken — to attract, allure
  • Esperanto: tenti — to attract, allure
  • Finnish: houkuttaa — to attract, allure
  • French: attirer — to attract, allure
  • German: locken — to attract, allure
  • Hungarian: csábít — to attract, allure
  • Hungarian: csalogat — to attract, allure
  • Italian: tentare — to attract, allure
  • Latvian: kārdināt — to attract, allure
  • Māori: whakapoapoa — to attract, allure
  • Norwegian: friste — to attract, allure
  • Polish: nęcić — to attract, allure
  • Polish: znęcić — to attract, allure
  • Portuguese: tentar — to attract, allure
  • Romanian: ispiti — to attract, allure
  • Russian: соблазня́ть (soblaznjátʹ) — to attract, allure
  • Russian: соблазни́ть (soblaznítʹ) — to attract, allure
  • Russian: искуша́ть (iskušátʹ) — to attract, allure
  • Russian: искуси́ть (iskusítʹ) — to attract, allure
  • Russian: прельща́ть (prelʹščátʹ) — to attract, allure
  • Russian: прельсти́ть (prelʹstítʹ) — to attract, allure
  • Scottish Gaelic: buair — to attract, allure
  • Spanish: tentar — to attract, allure
  • Spanish: acodiciar — to attract, allure
  • Spanish: acudiciar — to attract, allure
  • Telugu: ఎర వేయు (era vēyu) — to attract, allure
  • Turkish: cezbetmek — to attract, allure
  • Ukrainian: спокуша́ти (spokušáty) — to attract, allure
  • Ukrainian: прива́блювати (pryvábljuvaty) — to attract, allure
  • Volapük: bätön — to attract, allure
  • Bulgarian: провокирам (provokiram) — to provoke
  • Catalan: temptar — to provoke
  • Dutch: uitlokken — to provoke
  • Finnish: härnätä — to provoke
  • Hungarian: kísért — to provoke
  • Hungarian: kihív — to provoke
  • Polish: judzić — to provoke
  • Polish: podjudzić — to provoke
  • Russian: провоци́ровать (provocírovatʹ) — to provoke
  • Russian: спровоци́ровать (sprovocírovatʹ) — to provoke
  • Scottish Gaelic: buair — to provoke
  • Telugu: రెచ్చగొట్టు (reccagoṭṭu) — to provoke
  • Turkish: kışkırtmak — to provoke